All eyes were on the New York Islanders in this weekend's NHL Draft and they delivered in a what that can completely alter a franchise.
The Islanders had the #1 pick in the draft and the spotlight was on Matthew Schaefer. Schaefer is a a defenseman from Erie, of the Ontario Hockey League. He was the expected pick as the best player on the board but the fact they knew who was being selected didn't stop the enthusiasm from the nearly 10,000 Islanders fans who were at the team’s draft party at UBS Arena on Long Island.
Schaefer is just the fifth defenseman picked first overall in the NHL draft since 2000. Schaefer might have been the obvious #1 choice but his road was not a smooth one to get here. As Schaefer put on his new Islanders jersey his eyes filled with tears and we were all brought back to his tough road to get to this point. The Islanders gave the 17 year old a present on his jersey and once he saw it his emotions took over. The Islanders had placed a pink ribbon on his jersey, a symbol for breast cancer awareness, because his mother, Jennifer, died of the disease just 16 months ago. The young man kissed the ribbon and pointed to the sky and everyone watching knew what this meant to him.
Schaefer also broke his collarbone last season, which many thought could derail his draft stock. He did however show what he could do when he was on the ice as he had 22 points in just 17 games.
Schaefer is the prize of the draft, but the Islanders didn't stop there. New York then selected Swedish forward Victor Eklund with the 16th pick and followed that with the very next pick using it on defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson. That's three first round picks, and the #1 overall pick to restart your franchise with. In the second round the Islanders kept picking as they added six more players to a now entirely new looking locker room.
New York had all eyes looking at them for this year's draft and they did not disappoint their fans. Isles fans might need a program next season to find out who's on the ice, but this is the sort of reset that can propel a franchise into great things.